Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-12-12

As each man stepped from the path on
to the plateau his eyes We're firmly band
aged with white paper, the only act Of
mercy ! saw vouchsafed that morning
Finally they Were ranged RI line. the two
| cripples huadled on the ground. then poor
heads as they dropped from shoulder to
shoulder being roughly butfeted to a
proper angle bv the policemen in charge.
! This accomplished. amid a silence So
| absolute that We could almost hear our
| hearts beat. the great man on the camp
stoo! rose, and unfolding a large docu-
ment. read in loud Voice what we sup
posed to be description of the crimes
for which the poor fellows were to suffer
and the process # condemnation and SEN
tence. This was n very long business.
and before. it had nearly finished the
native spectators we're laughing and
joking upon the appearance Of the doomed
men with that Cailousness TO human suffer
ing which 50 much blackens the otherwise
amiable and pleasing character of the
Japanese people.
At last it was finished. As there were
but five holes for seven prisoners. two
would be obliged TO remain i'm blind
agony while their companions were being
dispatched. Five men were accordingly
tIrust forward with the slaves and fists
of the police: each man was made to
squat ON mound. his clothes-if filthy.
tattered rags could be called clothes
stripped from his shoulders. his hands
tied behind his back and his head pushed
forward over the hole.
Our feelings at this awful moment can
better be imagined than described, but |
think we felt quite as much pity for the
two poor wretches left alone to listen to
what was going on. without that artificial
aid To fortitude which the sight of a crowd
sometimes gives. as for their companions
On their death seats. Undoubtedly exc
cution by the trenchant Japanese sword
j. rs merciful death as can be desired;
but the Oriental nature. as if to compcn-
safe for this erring on the side of mercy,
counterbalances it by an undue prolonga-
ton of the preparations for death, which
is worse than a hundH u deaths. So in
this case.
As the poor fellow knelt over their
holes the executionei slowly and delib-
erateiy took of his ,oat and bared his
arms. Then he took from its silk casing
the fatal sword, examined it fondly and
linseringly. from the Yasuri me. or
filing on the hilt to keep the grasp from
slipping. along the kiminon or the groove
in the blade, to the point; held it over "A
pail while a coolie trickied water down
it, and with a great deal OF settling of his
feet was ready. l felt sick and giddy.
but kept my eyes on the scene. At
sign from the official ON the camp stool
the executioner raised his sword slightly,
hardly half dozen inches, and almost
before l could realize it the mans head
WAS hanging over the hole by single
ligament and the blood was gushing forth
in torrents.
l then saw why the executioner had
not completely severed the head; and the
wonderful skill Of the japanese swords
men. using. AS they do. the most perfect
weapons in the world, can be imagined
in so arranging the force of the blow that
absolute decapitation does not take place.
He tore the head Off ard held it toward
the four sides of the square: then he gave
it to coolie. who roughly plastered the
SeNehu ihtioi Will Gay anu stuCh IL ou
kind of elevated shelf. In the mean
while two coolies were humping on the
back of the prostrate body to hasten the
rush of blood. after which one Of the
coarse mats was thrown over it and it
was laid aside.
i had seen enough. and l turned my
head away as the executioner, after wip-
ing his blade with paper. approached the
second poor wretch.-Cor. Gentleman's
Manaziua